​The Word of Grace Devotion for the Week of November 20, 2017Give ThanksPsalm 9:1- “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.”Beloved, what do you have to give thanks for? This week Americans around the world celebrate Thanksgiving. I realize that many of us have been taught that Thanksgiving has its roots in the pilgrims but in reality its roots are Biblical. Because the Pilgrims held to the veracity of Scripture, their Thanksgiving unto the Lord was based on their relationship with the Lord, which stemmed out of a strong belief in the truth of God’s Word.Time and time again in Scripture we are asked (told) to give thanks unto the Lord. There are at least 78 different times in the Bible where one is giving thanks unto the Lord. Some of my favorite give thanks verses are 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Also Psalm 107:1, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” In addition,Ephesians 5:20, says “Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Also Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”Beloved, we all have much to be thankful for beginning with the free gift of our salvation through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So why not take some time this week and write ten things/people that you thankful for and hopefully you will find that there are far more than 10!I pray that you will have a blessed Thanksgiving. I love you and I thank God for each one of you!Thankful,Pastor JoePS. Hope to see you at the Turkey Bowl this Thursday Morning or for our venture to help out with Regalos de Amor this coming Friday Morning!I am thankful for: (1) My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2) My wife. (3) My stepdaughter and grandson. (4) My Family (5) My Church. (6) God’s Unchanging Word! (7) The missionaries from our fellowship.(8) The numerous friends/fellow believers around the globe! (9) The numerous servants at our fellowship (10) Our Home. (11) Coffee and eggnog! (12) And the 2017 NCAA National Champion UNM LOBOS!

The Word of Grace Devotion for the Week of November 6, 2017The War Within You!James 4:1-2, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.”Beloved, yesterday afternoon we all received the news that 26 people were killed at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, TX that is about 30 miles southeast of San Antonio. The news is certainly devastating to the church community. We know that this type of event can happen to any church on any given Sunday.The suspected gunman is Devin Patrick Kelley who lived near New Braunfels, TX. And had been court maritaled out of the Air Force. The motive is still unknown, at least to those investigating the crime. Biblically, the motive is clear. James 4:1 tells us the motive, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?” Devin Patrick Kelly had a war going on within him; a war, which he lost and resulted in the death of 26 people and in his death as well. James 4:2 says, “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.”Beloved, we all have passions within us, which if not kept in check, can lead to quarrels and fights and even murders. I would encourage each of us to turn to Jesus to help us win the war waging within us. He is the Prince of Peace and the One who can change a heart of stone into a heart of flesh.Please continue to pray for the First Baptist Church of Sunderland, Texas. Pray for the family members who lost loved ones, for the community and for the family of Devin Patrick Kelly. He lost the war. I pray that through pray we will not!I pray that you will have a blessed week! I love you! I am so grateful for each of you and I will be praying for you!In Jesus’ Name,Pastor Joe

The Word of Grace Devotion for the Week of October 30, 2017Great Is His Faithfulness!Lamentations 3:22-23, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;23they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”Beloved, this week we focus on a beautiful portion of Scripture found in the Book of Lamentations. Lamentations is a book of lament or mourning, though in this Book we also find hope because of the Lord’s faithfulness!His faithfulness begins with His steadfast (hesed) love. This love is described as steadfast, which is loyal, faithful, committed and dependable. The true character of God’s love for us is that His love never ceases. God ALWAYS loves!In addition to His unending love is His unending mercy. Time and time again we need the great mercy of God. Mercy is compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm. It is God’s unending mercy that allows us to come into His presence day after day receiving His forgiveness for our sinfulness. Great is His mercy!In addition, if it seems that we have used up God’s mercy, we find out that His mercies are new every morning and never come to an end. Every morning God has a new supply of mercy for His loves ones! Beloved, there will always be enough mercy for you and me!Finally, because of God’s great love and mercy, his faithfulness is great. God’s faithfulness implies unswerving adherence to us. In other words, we may fall short but God never will. He will always be faithful to offer us His great love and mercy! Our God is rock solid!Beloved, I pray that you will have a blessed week! I love you and I will be praying for you! If you need a does of God’s love, mercy and faithfulness, remember that they are new every morning!In Christ,Pastor Joe

Pastor's Pen

Senior PastorJoe Marquez

Beloved, we are soon to once again celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the human Son of man and the divine Son of God. He is one hundred percent human and one hundred percent God.

While there were many people instrumental in the birth of Christ, this morning we will look at His birth through the eyes of Joseph, His legal father. There is not too much known about the man who would care for Christ as He grew up. We know that Joseph was possibly a carpenter but most importantly we know that he was a righteous man who did the right thing.

When others would have ran away from a responsibility that was not even their own, Joseph stood steadfast and remained faithful to the end. We can learn much from his character and apply his attributes of faithfulness, purity, and perseverance to our own lives.

May you have a Blessed Christmas week and may Christ always be at the center of your lives!

P.S. Come back this evening as we look at the birth of Christ through the Gospel of Luke!